Mindy Kaling, Helena Bonham Carter Join Ocean’s Eleven Spinoff

A remake/spinoff of Ocean’s Eleven starring a mostly female cast has been a topic of discussion since the Sony leaks in 2013. But, the project moved forward last fall with the announcement that Sandra Bullock would star in the film, with Gary Ross (The Hunger Games,Free State of Jones) directing, Olivia Milch writing and possibly George Clooney involved in some capacity, too.

According to a report from Showbiz411, Blanchett will indeed appear in the film, as will actresses Mindy Kaling (The Mindy Project) and Helena Bonham Carter (Harry Potter, Alice Through the Looking Glass).The movie will film in New York early next year, once Blanchett finishes a current run on Broadway in The Present. The Showbiz411 report stated that it “doesn’t sound like” Lawrence, very busy with a variety of projects, will be able to appear in the film.

Previous reports have stated that the film will go by the nickname Ocean’s Ocho – because it will feature eight thieves instead of 11 – and Bullock will be playing the sister of Clooney’s Danny Ocean character (although Clooney is unlikely to return on screen). If there are eight characters – Bullock, Blanchett, Kaling and Carter are four – it’s not clear who might play the other members of the team or any love interest or antagonist characters. Additionally, we don’t know if anyone from the first three films will appear in the new one.

Is it “sacrilege” to “remake” Ocean’s Eleven so soon? No. If the Ghostbusters Wars of 2016 are any indication, some observers – even those not objecting on purely sexist grounds – will wonder how you can possibly remake something as beloved as Ocean’s Eleven, especially within 20 years of the first one. Anyone saying so, though, will forget that the 2001 Ocean’s was itself a remake of the 1960 heist film that starred Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., and the rest of the Rat Pack. However, the same argument has surrounded the upcoming Magnificent Seven remake with Denzel Washington and Chris Pratt, mostly from Steve McQueen/Charles Bronson/Yul Brynner partisans who have never heard of Akira Kurasawa or Seven Samurai.

That being said, the sequels to the Clooney/Pitt/Roberts Ocean’s Eleven movies didn’t quite capture the same success and movie magic as the first one in 2001. Perhaps that indicates there isn’t much more to wring out of this particular premise – at least, not without a major revamp, like what the new reboot is planning. That it’s set in New York, and not Ocean‘s sweet spot Las Vegas, is another possible strike against it. But, the cast assembled so far is quite promising and any differences may work in the reboot’s favor in terms of giving fresh life to the property.

There’s no release date or start date yet set for the new Ocean’s Eleven, but stay tuned to Screen Rant for more information as it becomes available.